The Evacuation of ‘Tent City’ and The Permanent Solution to Chronic Homelessness [EDITORIAL]

As October came to an end, the Tent City beneath the Marquette Interchange saw the last of its homeless residents moved into shelter for the winter. Much debate has come of the city’s decision to evacuate the residents. The decision came after the announcement of an upcoming infrastructure project under the I-794 interchange. A perk of the move is that 60-some residents will have a roof over their head when the temperature dips below zero in the coming months. Satisfying the need for shelter may also help some of these men and women tackle the underlying issues that led them to reside in a tent beneath a highway; addiction, mental health issues, and unemployment.

Those who have criticized the move of the residents claim that the city was motivated by the need to clear these people out of the way for construction in the spring, rather than a true desire to find them permanent solutions. The tent city was previously evacuated in winter of 2018 and quickly reformed later in the spring of 2019. Opposers argue that destroying these people’s sense of community and free will would impact them negatively. It has been reported that there were strong bonds formed among the residents. They relied on and cared for each other throughout the early spring and summertime. It is valuable to consider how many of these residents are returners from the 2018 evacuation. 

While the evacuation of tent city may be a temporary solution to a chronic problem in Milwaukee, the fact still remains that Wisconsin sees some of the most brutal winters around. Last year’s Polar Vortex brought the outside temperature 40 degrees below zero for consecutive days. The deadly drop in temperature claimed 22 lives. It would be exceedingly immoral to leave 60 souls vulnerable to the elements. The warmth of community cannot protect the human body from sub-zero conditions. Whether motivated by construction or concern, these residents needed to be indoors for the winter.

Many outreach programs for the homeless had been visiting the Tent City for weeks throughout the early fall to place them into shelters and with relatives. Chronic homelessness is an extremely tricky equation to crack. Some homeless people even prefer to live a nomadic lifestyle as many shelters and assistance programs enforce sobriety rules and curfews that stifle resident’s free will. Of the 60 residents moved into shelter, the odds are hopeful that a handful may see the underlying causes of their homelessness can be dealt with when the need for shelter and safety is satisfied.

So, if the residents moved indoors from the 2019 tent city evacuation find themselves indoors forever more or back on the streets in the spring, we can rest with the knowledge that their lives were spared from a frigid death. It is highly unlikely that the evacuation program will become a permanent solution to homeless communities in urban Milwaukee. Given the choice between a restricted life in a shelter, a chance at rehabilitation, or a rugged life in a community made of polyester shelters, some human beings would simply choose the latter.